BALTIMORE, Md. — The Morgan State Bears 2014 football schedule features a 12-game slate, four games in Hughes Stadium, an NCAA Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent and a return to the New York Urban League Whitney Young Classic.

“We’re excited about our schedule,” said first-year MSU head coach Lee Hull. “Our first opponent is FBS opponent Eastern Michigan, and I’m excited about returning to compete against my alma mater Holy Cross where I played football.”

“We’ll also have a great opportunity to showcase our team on the national level when we play our rivals [Howard] in the Whitney Young Classic.”

“This is my first season and I’m excited about competing for a MEAC championship.”

The Bears non-conference opponents in 2014 are Eastern Michigan, Holy Cross, Bowie State and Villanova. The Bears will not play Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion defending champion Bethune-Cookman in the regular season.

MSU will open its 2014 slate with a Saturday night road game on Aug. 30 against Chris Creighton’s Eastern Michigan team, marking the first meeting between the teams.

The Bears next travel to Worcester, Mass., on Sept. 1 to take on Hull’s alma mater, the Holy Cross Crusaders.

MSU welcomes Bowie State for the Bears’ home-opener at Hughes Stadium on Sept. 13.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to play against Bowie State,” said Hull. “It will be a great game for the region and the state of Maryland.”

MSU then begins MEAC play with the first of three road trips starting with a clash versus Howard at the Whitney Young Classic at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 20. After facing the Bison, MSU will travel to take on Norfolk State on Sept. 27, followed by its first trip to Tallahassee in four years to square-off against the Florida A&M Rattlers on Oct. 4.

MSU returns to Hughes Stadium to play North Carolina Central on Oct. 18 for Homecoming.

The Bears next travel to CAA member Villanova on Oct. 25 for its first meeting with head coach Andy Talley’s Wildcats. The game is followed by a pair of road contests at Hampton on Nov. 1, and at North Carolina A&T on Nov. 8.

Morgan State concludes its regular season by hosting South Carolina State on Nov. 15 and Delaware State on Nov. 22.

Game times and television plans for Morgan State’s 2014 games will be announced at a later date.

The Bears are coming off a 5-7 season, and posted a 5-3 record in the MEAC.